Travel By Perfume

Have you ever paid attention to your senses? How some are so acute and others don’t show up for work, ever. My vision is horrendous yet I have a dog-like sense of smell and hearing. I’m a picky eater, easily offended by vinegar and strong flavors. These innate differences most definitely shape our interests – how can they not? I’m the worst foodie in the world, just ask anyone who knows me well.

It’s all good, though, I’m satisfied with my bloodhound snout. I’m fascinated by the dynamics of smell and how it relates to memory and experience. Fun fact: our sense of smell is actually the first to operate when we are born and once we make a connection with a smell it is forever tied to that memory. Which is why Cool Water is forever the scent of 8th grade. And you? My memories are so vividly tied to scent – the good and the bad smells (mulch in the spring time haunts me in so many ways).

It begs the question: how can an unfamiliar scent challenge you and transport you to a new place? Introduce you to an energy and culture that you’ve never experienced? Somewhere not yet in your memory. Well, I’m not entirely sure, but wearing Kahina’s Fez Perfume takes me places. Everything about it is completely foreign but I love it for that reason. It’s not floral or “pretty” rather it’s spicy and earthy with a side of “let’s make out.” Yes, that’s a note, according to me. More official notes are rose, ylang ylang, orange blossom with a heavy dose of cumin, clove, vetivier, sandalwood and a bit of grapefruit.

Wearing Fez gives me a gritty energy that brings out an urge to discover. It activates my senses in a visceral way, more so than any other perfume I’ve worn. I have never been to Morocco and don’t know what it would be like to explore a bazaar, walk down the cobblestone streets or enjoy a ritual afternoon tea. But if I did, I have to imagine somewhere in that experience, the notes of Kahina’s Fez would piece together.

Undeniably, travel and going outside the bounds of what you know gives you perspective. But, perhaps, so can a perfume oil. How cool is that?